EXPLOSIONS ROCK SHANGHAI

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 180, 17 August 1937, Page 7

EXPLOSIONS ROCK SHANGHAI

' Press Association-

More Troops Land Under Cover of Bombardment

CHINESE CONCENTRATIONS SUFFER

XBy Telegraph.-— Per

-Copyright).

XReceived 17, 9.35 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 16. . Japanese gunboats this afternoon heavily shelled and ' fc&mbed Pootung, the Chinese town on the other side of the iWhangpoo river opposite the International Settlement, causing explosions whioh rocked Shanghai. Chinese gnns replied. The Japanese destroyer Hasu shelled and set on fire a four-storey hiick huilding in the Chinese Bund allegedly harbouring a nest of machine-guns and snipers. Ambulances sped to the blazing huilding. It is feared that the death roll is heavy, as the district is densely populated. I When mght. fell, star-shells lit up the battlegrounds on all seciors. The artillery and machine-gun fire was incessant. The Japanese resisted a desperate attempt by the Chinese to eapture the Japanese headquarters. A tremendons explosion, the eaiise of which is not known, shooh the Bund area like an earthfluake. Warships are still poixnding Pootung. The Chinese officially claim that the Japanese have abandoned their headquarters near Hongkew Park and also the cotton-mills aerving as a base in the north-eastern quarter of Shanghai. Arrangements have been completed for the shipment in the Eajputana and Empress of Asia to Hongkong of 2000 women and ,.60 children. It is stated that no more ships are available at present. 1 Cargo boats may be used later. Piring ceased in Shanghai before midnight, and activities were •transferred to Cape Yangtse-kiang, south of the mouth of the Whangpoo", where it enters the Yangtse-kiang. Here the Japanese are supporting their earlier landing at Liuho to threatencthe Chinese lines north of Shanghai. They launched a bombardment in order to protect the landing of further reinforcements in fiat-bottomed boats with the object of advancing against the Chinese concentrations on the south hani?; of the Whangpoo opposite Shanghai The Japanese flagship Idumo moved downstream, apparcntly to reinforce the bombardment. Six--ineh shells from the cruisers fell with devastating effect among the Ghinese troops, who were armed only with trench-mortars, machineguns and rifles. Japanese officers hope that this attaek in the Yangtse-kiang-Wliangpoo delta will precede early control of the Shanghai area.

The crowd queued at the Shanghai Club' had another terrorising experienco at 11.30 when seven Chinese bombers flew over the Japanese warship Idumo and dropped five huge bombs. One exploded on a pontoon elose to the truiser, another a hundred yards toward the shore, and a third in the water, Fires in Japanese Area. Several fires started in the Japanese area, after which Japanesq planes ascended again to bomb the Chinese positions west of the city. The Japanese early-morning offensive lasted an hour, Japanese warships coneentrated their fire on the area of the 8hanghai Woosung railway obviously to •over the landing of reinforcements

from two transports. Vice-Admiral Hasegawa wamed all non-eombatants to evacuate the neighbourhood of the Chinese military and civil aerodromea. At Shanghai pefrol, ice and other necessaries are unavailable. The stores, most of whfcli are open, are not granting credit. The banks will not opeu to-day, One warrant ofBcer and four bluejackets were killed on the Idumo in the morning 's attaek. tteneral Mobilisatlon ln Japan. The British' United Press Tientsin correspondent quotes private advico that a general mobilisation is in progress in Japan. Japanese Embassy officials and staffs liave applied for faeilities to leave Nanking, where the Admiralty claims to have shot down ten- Chinese planes this morning and destroyed the liangars. « A Tokio message says the Embassy confirincd that Eulbassy ollicials were lcaving Nanking, but this does not imply ihe brcaking-olf of diplomutie rolations. The Ambassador, Mr. Kuwagoo, remaius on duty, The Foreign Office spokesman empliasised that Japan adheres to her policy of non-aggravation in China if China ccmpletely and defluitely stops hostile actions. Fronch batteries opened fire on Chinese planes flying over the Coneossion this morning.